Coupling.



N 15 L PATBNTED SEPT. s '1907.

o oUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 11.1906.

' 7' /f' "f Q /fyi WITNESS/55 n ga/yf ff fafa ATTORNEYS GEORGE BACH, OFLYNDON STATION, WISCONSIN.

COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 3, 1907.

i yApplication filed April 11. 1906. Serial No. 311,164.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, GEORGE'BACH, a citizen of the United States, residingat Lyndon Station, in the county of Juneau and State of Wisconsin, haveinvented a new and useiul Coupling, oi which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to couplings for harness, tug chains, traces,whifi'letrees, cables and the like and has for its object to provideimproved means for effecting the union between two or more desiredparts.

A further object is to provide means for locking the mating members incoupled or operative position and means for exerting a yieldablepressure on the locking members in the direction ofthe length of thecoupling.

A still further object of the invention is to generally improve thisclass of devices so as to increase their utility7 durability andefficiency as well asto reduce the cost of manufacture. i

Further objects and advantages will appear in the following description,it being understood that various changes in form, proportions and minordetails of construction may be resorted to within the scope of theappended claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification:Figure 1 is a top plan view of a coupling constructed in accordance withmy invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating a modified form ofthe invention. Fig. Sis a top plan view partly in section illustratinganother modification. Fig. 4 is a side elevation partly in sectionillustrating a further modification. Fig. 5 is a perspective viewillustrating a still further modification. i

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of thcgures of the drawings. i

The coupling shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings comprises a pair of matingmembers 5 and 6, the member 5 being provided with means for attachmentto a swingletree or other suitable support 7 and having'its enlargedhead formed with a socket 8 for the reception of the spherical head 9ofthe member 6.

The wall of the socket 8 is formed with an aperture 10 through which thehead of the member 6 is introduced into the socket 8, said aperturehaving a contract- Yed portion or slot 1l inclined to the longitudinalaxis of the coupling and opening through the free end oi the member 5for guiding the shank 14 of the member 6 to the mouth ofthe socket, asshown.

The wall ot the aperture 10 is formed with a depression or cut awayportion 12 to facilitate positioning of the head 9 within the socketwhile the walls of the contracted portion 11 are provided with inwardlyextending lugs or projections 13 which serve to partially close thecontracted portion 11 and thus prevent accidental displacement of theshank.

The shank 14 terminates in a loop for attachment to a trace or other'flexible connection 15 and slidably mounted on said shank is a sleeveor collar 16 which constitutes a movable spring engaging head and isprovided with a perforated diaphragm 17 [or the reception oi the shank.The collar or head 16 is formed with an annular flange 18 adapted toengage an annular extension or flange 19 on the free end of the member 5thereby locking the head within the -socket and maintaining the couplingmembers in alinement with each other.

Secured to the shank 14 and spaced from the .collar 16 is a stationaryspring engaging head 20 provided with an annular extension 2l. in whichis seated one end of a coiled spring 22 the opposite end of said springbearing against the diaphragm 17 andserving to yieldably support thecollar or head 16 in engagement with the reduced end of the matingmember 5.

In coupling the members the shank carrying the spherical head is placedat right angles to the longitudinal axis of the member 5 and the headintroduced through the aperture 10 in the socket 8, after which theshank is moved longitudinally of the member through the contractedportion 11 and thence pressed downwardly until said shank is inalinement with the longitudinal axis oi the member 5, the member 1Gbeing previously retracted to permit the passage of the shank.

When the members 5 and G are coupled in the manner described the spring22 will exert a longitudinal. pressure on the locking collar or head 16and move the latter longitudinally of the shank 14 into engagement withthe flange 19 thereby effectually locking the parts and preventinglateral movement of the shank 14.

To release the coupling it is merely necessary to rc tract the collar orhead 1G against the tension of the spring 22 and then press upwardly onthe shank 14 when the latter may be guided through the contractedopening 11 to the aperture 10, in which position the shank will bedisposed at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the member 5 sothat `the spherical head 9 may be lifted out of the socket.

It will thus be seen that the head9 is yieldably supported in engagementwith the interior wall of the socket 8 thereby forming a good connectionbetween the same. It will also be observed that by exerting a rearwardpressure on the collar or head 1G and manipulating the member G theparts may be readily detached.

In Fig. 2 oi the drawing there is illustrated a modified form of theinvention in which the member 5 is preferably tubular in shape andprovided with a longitudinally disposed opening 23 which communicateswith the head receiving socket 24, as shown, the parts being otherwisesimilar in construction to the coupling shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

In coupling the member shown in Fig. 2 the shank is placed at rightangles to the longitudinal plane of the member 5 and the head 9 insertedin the socket 24 after which the collar or head 16 is retracted and theis formed with a conical extension 27 adapted to en! gage acorrespondingly shaped recess 28 formed in the adjacent end oi themember 5, said collar being provided with radial finger pieces 29 toassist in moving said collar to inoperative position against the tensionoi the coiled spring when releasing the mating members.

. In connecting the mating members shown in Fig. 5 the head is insertedin one end oi the bore 25 with the shank disposed at right angles to andpositioned within the slot in the member 5 and said shank movedlongitudinally oi the member 5 until the head bears against the curvedwall of the socket 26 alter which the head or collar 16 is retracted andthe shank pressed downwardly withinA the slot. The collar is thenreleased thus causing the spring 22 to force the same in engagement withthe recess 28, as shown.'

In Fig. 4 the mating member' 5 is preferably cylindrical in iorm andpierced by a transverse opening 30 which communicates with thelongitudinal bore 31 for the reception oi the spherical head 9, themating member 6 being provided with a locking head or collar 32 havingan annular flange or extension 33 adapted to engage a correspondinglyshaped recess in the ree end of the member 5. 1n this form ot the devicethe members 5 and G are coupled by placing the head and shank at rightangles to the longitudinal axis of the member 5 and inserting the headin the opening 30 in the manner beiore stated, after which the head orcollar 33 is retracted and the shank pressed downwardly within the slotor bore 3l.

A further modification is shown in Fig. 5 ofthe drawings in which themating member 5 is provided with an over-hanging head 34 which forms onewall of the head receiving socket, said member being provided with alongitudinal Vslot or recess 35 which communicates with an opening 36extending transversely through the member 5 and through which thespherical head 9 is introduced into the socket 37. In. this form oi thedevice the shank 14 is provided with spaced disks 38 between which isinterposed a coiled spring 39 ier yieldably supporting the head 9 inengagement with the wall ofthe socket.

In assembling the coupling shown in Fig. 5 oi the drawing the shankcarrying the spherical head 9 is placed at right angles to thelongitudinal axis oi the member 5 and said head inserted upwardlythrough the opening 36 until the adjacent portion oi the shank registerswith the slot 35, after which the shank is moved laterally within theslot and the head pressed downwardly in the socket 37. The forward disk38 is then retracted and the looped end 14/ oi the shank forced upwardlythus causing the shank to assume the horizontal position shown in Fig. 5and in which position it will be retained by the disk 38 and spring 39.

The coupling shown in the different figures of the drawing may be madein different sizes and shapes and plated, japanned or otherwise coatedto protect the same against the action of the elements.

While the improved coupling is particularly designed ior connectingdifferent portions oi harness it is obvious that the same may be usedwith equally good results wherever a device oi this character is iounddesirable.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

1. A coupling comprising mating members normally ex tending in the samelongitudinal plane, one of said members being provided with a socket andthe other with a spherical head adapted to enter the socket, spacedheads carried by one of said members, and a spring interposed betweenthe heads for yieldably supporting one ot the members in engagement withthe adjacent member.

2. A coupling comprising mating members normally extending in the samelongitudinal plane, one of said members being provided with a socket andthe other with a spherical head adapted to enter the socket, a lockingcollar slidably mounted on the head carrying member and adapted toengage the end of the adjacent member, and lneans for yieldably holdingthe collar in contact with said member.

3. A coupling comprising mating members normally eX- tending in the samelongitudinal plane one of 'which is provided with a socket and the otherwith a spherical head adapted to enter the socket, a locking collarslidably mounted on the head carrying member and provided with a flangeadapted to embrace the end of the adjacent member, and a spring bearingagainst said collar.

4. A coupling comprising mating members normally extending in the samelongitudinal plane, one of said members being provided with a socket andthe other with a spherical head adapted to engage said socket, therebeing an aperture formed in the wall of the socket and opening throughone end of said member, a locking collar carried by the head and adaptedto engage the slotted end of the socket member', and means for yieldablyclamping the eollar in engagement with said member. l

5. A coupling comprising mating members, a locking collar slidablymounted on one member and provided with a transverse perforateddiaphragm defining a flange for engagement with the adjacent member, aspring engaging head spaced from the collar, and a spring interposedbetween the head and collar.

G. A coupling comprising a pair of mating members one of which isprovided with a socket and the adjacent member with a spherical headhaving a reduced shank terminating in an attaching loop, a lockingcollar slidahly mounted for longitudinal movement on the shank andprovided with a perforated diaphragm defining opposite'ly disposed[langes one of which engages the adjacent mating member, a springengaging head rigidly secured to the shank and spaced from the collar,and a spring interposed between said head and one of the flanges on thelocking collar.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto ailixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE BACH.

Witnesses:

D. V. BownAX, RUFUS .TrnsA.

